Restorative Action Alliance was in Hartford on February 27th to advocate for fair housing practices during a public hearing for HB 5242, An Act Concerning the Collateral Consequences of a Criminal Record on Housing.

Amber Vlangas, Executive Director of RAA, urged members of the public and legislators to engage in nuanced conversations, " This idea that landlords are at odds with people living with a record is just silliness... We all have a stake in the safety of our communities and our communities are safer when everyone has fair access to housing. We do not feel safe when we are not considered. We do not feel safe when we are discriminated against."

The bill was subsequently raised out of the Housing Committee. Restorative Action Alliance continues to push for the removal of exclusionary language that affects people with certain offenses, and in particular, those who are subject to lifetime registration. This language comes from federal housing law and should not be a component of the law in our state.

RAA's written testimony can be found here. A video of the hearing is available here.

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